AVAILABILITY, ACCESSIBILITY AND UTILIZATION OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION RESOURCES IN RAMAT LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examined the availability, accessibility and utilization of Electronic information resources in Ramat Library University of Maiduguri, Nigeria. The study determined the electronic resources available in the library under study as well as the accessibility and utilization of the electronic information resources. The study adopted survey research design. The target population is 90 users of the library under study who were purposively selected for the study. A self-designed questionnaire was used to fetch responses from the users of the library under study. Six objectives were formulated to guide the conduct of the study. Four research questions were generated and answered, and two null hypotheses were tested. Frequency count and percentages were used to answer the research questions and Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance, using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. The findings of the study
revealed that CD-ROM, databases, internet services, electronic journals, databases and electronic books were the types of electronic information resources that were readily available for the library users. The study further established that the library users under study had access to the electronic information resources to moderate extent, such resources were utilized by the user on a weekly basis. However, it was also revealed that the users were not satisfied with the electronic information resources found in the library under study this was evident due to the
fact that majority of the respondents that is, 45 (51.7%) revealed that they were not satisfied. Further to these findings, availability of information resources has significant relationship with extent of accessibility of the electronic information resources by users and that utilization of electronic information resources has significant relationship with the extent of satisfaction with the information resources by users in Ramat Library University of Maiduguri. This was established since the calculated r-value .689 was greater than the p–value of .000, the null hypothesis was rejected. It was recommended among others that the library management should adequately make provision of fund necessary for the provision of current and up to date electronic information resources. The library management should provide means for better access to all the electronic information resources in the library.